Living in the north of Brazil, facing an estuary of the Amazon river, I blog about Brazil and life in the delta of the Amazon. Serious issues with a wink to the sometimes light-hearted Brazilian society, including its curiosities and a touch of its beauties.

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World Cup 2014 – What Could Be Stolen, Is Stolen

Brazil lives crazy moments at the eve of the World Cup. Just 14 days to go before the kick-off and all sorts of happenings are colouring the TV-screens and daily newspapers. They are the result of a chaotic mood of the reigning political elite, realising that it is losing its footing with the people and not knowing what to do. They made the mess and don’t have an answer to clean the atmosphere and keep their dignity. Desperation in progress.

I have two issues for today and I start with following the lead of what Augusto Nunes wrote on his blog for Veja, titled (in free translation): “On the day the heiress of the football gigolos announced the consummation of the World Cup robbery, the confrontation between the jungle army of Indians and the riot police worsened what was already becoming a platform of the Indian”.

First the Indian warfare, then the phrase: “What Could Be Stolen, Is Stolen”.

Mané Garrincha Stadium in the capital Brasilia

Even the tufts of grass of the overpriced stadiums know that the World Cup has everything to become a tremendous platform of the Native Brazilians (here is Brazil generally called Indians). But even the most dodgy of top hats couldn’t imagine that on Tuesday, May 27, the former owners of the land were able to worsen what already looked exemplarily ruinous. As reported by the Veja website, the feat was accomplished by the unlikely battle fought on the outskirts of the Mané Garrincha Stadium in the capital Brasilia by a troop of 400 Indians and a police regiment made up of 500 men.

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According to the Indian chiefs of a certain Mobilização Nacional Indígena (National Indigenous Mobilization), the warriors composed of recruits originating from 100 different tribes intended only to “deliver a cup of blood” to some bigwig from the federal government, in an act of protest against the deaths of Indian chiefs attributed to police brutality. Plans changed when the warriors mingled with tennis or typical headdresses with jeans of a bunch of civilians, who marched on one of the most expensive arenas in the world for another demonstration against the profligacy of the World Cup.

To prevent the enemy from approaching the spot where the Cup Trophy is on display, to be awarded to the winner of the contest, soldiers on horse and Indians painted in war colours staged a very Brazilian version of a show that can only be seen in old westerns or at Disneyworld. The difference was in the arms: the tear gas and rubber bullets used by the riot police were as real as the bows and arrows carried by the jungle infantry. On Twitter, the page of the Conselho Indigenista Missionário (Indigenous Missionary Council) ensured that three Indians were injured. A photo displayed by the police certifies that at least one uniformed officer was hit by an arrow.

Photo: Lunae Parracho/Reuters

Images of the conflict, broadcasted live on TV and prominently reported by the international press, will require especially bold rhetorical acrobatics of the crooks, who target the ballot box of the general election and shot into their own foot. Main responsible for the transformation of Brazil into a provisional province of FIFA, ex-president and Capo di tutti capi Lula will soon be reciting another Panglossian scam. Maybe in this episode he sees a forceful proof that, contrary to what occurred in the United States, the Indians here are expanding. Maybe he prefers to swear that it was just an inventive tribute to Garrincha, the most famous descendant of Indian football history.

If the hunters for votes are forced to chase after their losses, the most notorious hunters of dollars are already sleeping in peace.

Slowly, but surely, the grifters are lured out of their holes (secure bastions) and are subsequently, often inadvertently, stating the truth, confirming what anybody already guessed. And so we find Joana Havelange in the spotlights.

Before I go into the stupidity she ventilated, let me tell a little bid about this woman. Joana is the daughter of Ricardo Teixeira, who combined the roles of president of the CBF (Brazilian Football Federation) and chairman of the LOC (Local Organizing Committee of the World Cup), till he had to leave the two entities in March 2012 due to being involved in corruption scandals in the CBF and FIFA. Without problems he flew to Miami, as in Brazil impunity is a privilege of the rich.
Furthermore Joana is the grand-daughter of former FIFA president João Havelange, of who is said that he transformed the world football organisation into a Currency House for Club Owners.
But the best part comes now. Since its creation Joan works as executive-director for the LOC having been appointed by her father and receives one of the highest salaries of the committee. She earns about BRL 80,000 (USD 40,000) a month. Joana (37) graduated in Business Administration from the University Estácio de Sá.

And what did this golden-spoon girl say that got Brazil in a frenzy. As well-informed insider she just was honest when saying that “O que tinha para ser roubado, já foi” (freely translated: “What could be stolen, is stolen”)

Curiously enough they weren’t even her own words, but they got traction at the social media, Facebook and Twitter, as Joana Havelange reposted the phrase, which was originally written by the journalist Thiago Falcão and posted on his Facebook page on May 19.

The reaction to her reposting the sentence on the social networks was intense. While other celebrities as the TV-host Adriane Galisteu and the singer Latino had also reposted the text, it was thanks to the dubious authority of Joana that “What could be stolen, is stolen” turned into a kind of slogan of the World Cup.

Brazil will not experience the greatest World Cup of all times. We will feel embarrassed. It’s the World Cup of the deceptions, where everything is made up. I’m not calling anyone a crook, I’m just saying they will steal.

Well, the truth is harsh, but don’t worry, the crooks walked away from the crime scene before the the prisoners’ van arrived. Augusto Nunes writes in his blog “The ones remaining in action, besides hunting for more money, want to win in the general election. But look, while dividing the stolen goods, they may lose the chance to escape. And will never be so close to falling out of power”.
There always is hope.